1. Filed of the Invention
The invention concerns a garlic cutter which may also be used for other vegetables, for instance onions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known implements for mincing garlic are designed as a sort of press, the garlic being forced by a punch through a grid opening. Essentially the vegetable is being squeezed, namely being processed by the apertures, into small strands or streamers. The garlic is less cut than pressed in this procedure. Moreover, comparatively large parts remain caught in the implement and do not pass through the apertures.
The German Offenlegungsschrift 21 19 992 describes an onion cutter wherein an axially adjustable punch forces the onion through star-arrayed cutting blades, so that the onion is cut into a plurality of sectors of a circle. These sectors are cut into individual pieces by a knife inserted transversely to them.
A similar onion cutter designed with cutting wires rotating relative to the onion is disclosed in the German Gebrauchsmuster 1,750,135.
The German patent 832,051 discloses an implement for mincing onions, fruit or other goods and comprising a housing bearing a cutting blade at its lower side and an upper part fitted with a punch affixed thereto. The punch during operation, and rotation relative to the housing, carries out an axial motion toward the co-rotating cutting grid. By means of this axially displaceable punch, the fruit is moved or pressed through a co-rotating cutting grid at the output side of which are formed corresponding streamers or strands of square cross-section. These segments then are longitudinally minced by the blade mounted behind the cutting grid and consequently onion cubes are made. The fruit is neither pressed nor rubbed. Rather, the onion on one hand is cut by the grid and on the other hand is cut transversely by the blade, and as a result there are finely cut onion cubes as end products. The cutting grid cuts the fruit in two dimensions, and therefore, pins or bars are generated which subsequently are minced by the blade into cubes. The punch is designed in such manner that its front side shape matches the shape of the two-dimensional cutting grid, that is the front-side shape consists of a number of pegs pushing the onion segments through the cutting grid. The blade is mounted in stationary manner on the housing, whereas the punch and the cutting grid are mounted rotatably and preferably so that one actuating element can set both in rotation and that, by means of the spindle, they generate an axial punch motion relative to the co-rotating cutting grid.
A drawback of the above implement is that because of the comparatively fine thread, after the fruit has been inserted, the lid must be rotated fairly long "on empty" until the punch comes to rest against said fruit. The actual cutting or pressing procedure begins only then. Again opening requires unscrewing the upper part in time-consuming manner. Furthermore, the punch of this state of the art consists of a plurality of pegs and presents difficulties in cleaning.
The objective of the invention is a garlic cutter, or such a cutter for vegetables which, following filling, shall operate more rapidly, further shall mince the fruit without damaging it, and also shall be quickly opened and cleaned.
This problem is solved in the invention by the garlic cutter of the present invention.